Two bombs killed at least 15 people as Mr Ghani was sworn in. The Taliban call the deal a "US-orchestrated sham".

One blast near Kabul airport killed at least seven people. A
second attack in eastern Paktia province left another eight dead,
officials said.

The Taliban said they carried out both attacks.

At the swearing-in ceremony attended by up to 100 dignitaries at the
presidential palace in Kabul, Mr Ghani took an oath to abide by the
constitution.

He said he would work for long-term peace, promised to tackle corruption and said constitutional changes were needed.

"Security is a main demand of our people, and we are tired of
this war," Mr Ghani said. "We ask opponents of the government,
especially the Taliban and Hezb-e-Islami [another militant group], to
enter political talks."

In his long first speech after being sworn in as the new Afghan
president, Ashraf Ghani promised reform, development, an end to poverty,
measures against corruption, and a clean-up of the judiciary.

But he knows that he can do nothing without security. In a
year when the Taliban are conducting their biggest offensives since they
fell from power in 2001, he said Afghan people were tired of war and
wanted peace.

He talked about the crisis in Syria and Iraq, and said that
Afghanistan was an Islamic country that understood about jihad after
Islamic guerrillas defeated the Russians in the 1980s. He said the
country did not need any lessons from foreign fighters.

The former World Bank economist has ambitious plans for
change, but now needs to make his coalition work, with his defeated
election rival Abdullah Abdullah.

Abdullah Abdullah, centre, has stood for president twice - and lost

Hamid Karzai's last few years in office have been marked by mistrust of the US

Mr Ghani praised the country's "first democratic transfer of
power" and also spoke warmly of his rival, and now partner in
government, Dr Abdullah. His first act as president was to sign the
decree creating the new role of chief executive.

Dr Abdullah, who takes on the job which has prime-ministerial
powers, said the two leaders would work together "for a better future
with trust and honesty".

Earlier outgoing President Hamid Karzai, who has been leader
since the US-led invasion in 2001, called for people to support the new
government.

Security in the capital was tight, with few people on the streets and shops closed.

Served as finance minister from 2002-2004 under President Hamid Karzai

He fell out with President Karzai in 2004 and became Chancellor of Kabul University, where he was seen as an effective reformer

He has been a vocal critic of the way international aid money has been wasted in Afghanistan

He has a well-known reputation for having a quick temper

On Tuesday, the new government's first act is expected to be
signing a deal that will see US troops remain in Afghanistan after the
end of this year - a move previously opposed by Mr Karzai. All Nato
combat troops pull out this year.

Underlining the security challenges facing the country's new
leaders, officials said a suicide bomber had attacked a checkpoint on
the Kabul airport road leading to the US embassy as the palace ceremony
was being held.

Four members of the Afghan security forces and three
civilians were killed, and a number of other people were wounded,
interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said.

In Paktia, a suicide car bomb attack on a government compound
killed at least eight people, officials say. The raid in Zurmat
district left a number of security personnel dead. Officials say four
attackers were also killed.

On Friday the Taliban overran a strategic district in another
eastern province, Ghazni, highlighting some of the many challenges
facing Mr Ghani and his security forces.

Following the election earlier this year, US Secretary of
State John Kerry helped broker a comprehensive audit of all eight
million votes after the results were disputed.

The audit was completed this month but the final tallies and
the official result have not been made public amid fears over unrest.

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